“What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn’t just about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger. We had many families over time. Our family of origin, the family we created, and the groups you moved through while all of this was happening: friends, lovers, sometimes even strangers. None of them perfect, and we couldn’t expect them to be. You can’t make any one person your world. The trick was to take what each could give you and build your world from it.”
― Sarah Dessen, Lock and Key

“If you want to find the trail, if you want to find yourself, you must explore your dreams alone. You must grow at a slow pace in a dark cocoon of loneliness so you can fly like wind, like wings, when you awaken.”
― Francesca Lia Block

This is my dad…ex-Marine, grew up in an orphanage, only son among 4, married for 40 years, and ex-alcoholic. He’s been sober for 5 years and 2 months today after drinking steadily for as long as I can remember. Quit cold turkey and has not had one single sip of alcohol since. He’s a very different man than he was 5 years ago. He’s the man I always dreamed he’d be if the disease loosened it’s death grip. He’s smiling in this picture. A real genuine smile which lights up his eyes. No, you can’t see his face so you can’t tell but I’m his daughter and I know simply by looking at the crinkles near his eyes. This is a smile I longed to see as a child…a genuine smile without the assistance of the alcohol. This is the smile my children now see quite regularly…completely free of the alcohol which use to fuel him. I am so very proud of this man and all that he has overcome and worked through in his life.